Wednesday, November 25, 2015

Over the last few years, I have noticed an alarming trend in occultism: Some students believe that they should get everything for free---as in esoteric Orders, groups, teachers, and writers should not get a dime from the students. These are the same type of students who do not believe in doing daily exercises or memorizing the basic terms. I thought that I saw the worst of it a couple of months ago when someone suggested that magical Orders should pay their students to be members.

Well, I was wrong.

Last night during one of my moderator runs on Facebook, I ran across a pending post that made me realize that it could get so much worse.

Now for those who have not heard my rant: Running an esoteric Order (group) costs money---candles, rent, handouts, etc. all cost money. And writing a book and teaching takes a person away from activities that would result in a paycheck. And I feel that it is unfair for the students to get these services for free, placing the entire monetary burden on occult leaders, especially when occult leaders have to shell out money for things like groceries.

Plus there is also the little fact that I had to pay for lessons, books, materials, and membership dues, as well as pass my Grade exams--therefore, I do not see why the modern generation of students should get a free ride. Yes, I believe that modern occult students should suffer as much as I did coming up the ranks.

In other words, I am an asshole who does not realize that modern students are vastly superior in wisdom to me, and that I am blessed to be in the mere presence of such enlightened souls.

How much of an asshole am I?

Take for instance, last night's post.

Here is a lad advertising a GoFundMe campaign to help him collect the money neccessary to buy materials to study the Masonic symbols. He shared his ad with over twenty Facebook groups. And he is only asking for a mere 100K (one hundred thousand dollars).

Yes, I said 100K.

What the hell is he trying to study? Primary sources? Handwritten manuscripts? George Washington's wig? Maybe he thinks that he needs to own a lodge.

Or maybe, my inner asshole says, he is trying to get other people to pay him not to work and be a full time student of Freemasonry. And by full time, I mean he sits on the sofa reading internet posts and never once steps into a lodge.

For the life of me, I can't figure out why this person is so special that we should fund their esoteric career. And yes, I looked at what little they had public on their Facebook profile , and there is nothing to indicate that this person is the next Albert Pike. I am not even sure that he is a member of a Freemason lodge....and that would be the first step to understanding Freemasonry, or so I would think.

But if you think that I am wrong, feel free to donate funds to him.

Or better yet, start up a GoFundMe campaign to pay me 100K not to make fun of him. It can't be good for his studies that people like me are using him as fodder on a slow news day. Think of the number of special snowflake students you could save from the likes of me if you funded me to....pet cats all day long...go back and get my Masters in a completely useless degree (either history or literature)...go to Rome and annoy Nick Farrell...help out my wife in the art studio...run naked though a Broncos game...the possiblities are endless---hell, toss enough money at me (100K, come on people!), and I might even finish the artwork for the Tarot deck that I am working on. And if you like, I can claim to be studying Freemasonry while I am doing so. After all, if you give me 100K, I too can be a special snowflake.

Remember special snowflakes need you to fund them, so that they get all the esoteric wisdom and knowledge for free. Don't listen to those asshole occult teachers who believe that money should flow to the teacher and not towards the student.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

One of the standard arguments that pro-gun supporters make against the gun control crowd is that "[Gun control freaks] know nothing about guns. If [gun control freaks] knew how to shoot a gun, they would be pro-gun, and support open carry, and support assault weapons and high capacity magazines, because they would know that they would be able to protect themselves with a gun."

Ok...if you insist.

But here is the thing, I grew up around guns and was taught how to use them and I am a member of the gun control crowd. I also received a certain amount of military style training. With practice, I am quite sure that I could hit the broadside of a barn. Yet I turned into someone who would like to see the existing gun control laws actually enforced properly.

And I know exactly why.

I was taught that hunting rifles and shotguns have a purpose, primarily hunting tasty meat, but can be misused to KILL other human beings. And that all other guns (handguns, assault weapons) have a single purpose: To KILL other human beings. I was taught never to pull out a gun and point it at another person unless I intended to KILL them.

Yes, I was taught that if a gun is involved in a non-hunting situation, then someone is going to die. Period. End of story. Because guns outside of a wilderness situation only have one purpose--and that is to kill.

When you argue self-defense, you are arguing that you should be allowed to kill someone. When you argue that you need a gun to protect yourself from the government, you are arguing that you should be allowed to kill someone. When you argue that teachers should carry guns, you are arguing that they should be allowed to kill someone. And adding more guns to a situation just means that more people are going to die.

Please note this is why I am never surprised when a cop kills someone. In my mind, the instant a cop pulls a gun out, someone is going to die. Because a gun only has one purpose---to KILL. In fact, I am surprised that more people are not killed by cops.

And yes, by this same thought process (intended purpose determines lawfulness), I do not believe that we need to outlaw axes, cars, airplanes, fast food, etc. Because axes have a purpose other than killing. Cars have a purpose other than killing. Airplanes have a purpose other than killing. Fast food...well, I would like to think that Burger King is not trying to kill their customers.

But I would like to see laws enforced to make sure that people do not kill others using these other technologies. For instance, drunks should not be allowed to drive cars or other vehicles.

Of course, if you really want to argue that we need to outlaw everything that can kill---because you have a gun fetish---well, that is simple: outlaw humans. Because the number one cause of murder and terrorism just happens to be...humans.

So just remember that when you argue for your rights to have a gun, what I hear is that you believe that you have the right to kill other people, including me and my loved ones.

Wednesday, November 18, 2015

As many of my readers know, my wife is a ceramic artist. One of the things that she has been making lately are ceramic pentacle disks. She currently has ten up on her Khari's Wiccan Treasures page, and there is another half dozen that I have yet to take photographs of. She sells them for $20 USD, plus postage and handling.

Sunday, November 15, 2015

Public Service Announcement: Today, I have seen a lot of solutions put forth about the tragedy in Paris. One included an a magical operation to protect Paris. This ritual included the use of the divine name Elohim Gibor. This name is not peaceful energy; it is martial energy. It is fine if you think that the answer is More Guns!!! or you fancy yourself an occult knight leading the forces of freedom. But it is not ok if you are aiming for peaceful solutions. Don't be fooled---Elohim Gibor is violence, and is like pouring gasoline on a fire. If you are after violence--fine--but I think that maybe you should consider using a different Power Word.

Tuesday, November 10, 2015

File this under "News stories that you do not want to see as an occultist." A teacher at Hidden Lake High School (Westminister Colorado) chose to cleanse her class of bad energy and read Tarot cards for her students. Two students received the Death card, and at least one Catholic student is transferring to another school. The teacher was taped on cell phone video. And please note that the student interviewed by Fox 31 News (Denver, CO) said that the Tarot was created by a Satanist. The teacher has been suspended while the school district investigates the incident. *sigh*

Friday, November 6, 2015

On October 28, 2015, the Golden Dawn Order ROGD website was shut down by their ISP (internet service provider) upon the receivership of a notice from the lawyers of the AMORC (Ancient and Mystical Order Rosae Crucis).

The ISP was given a notice that the ROGD was engaged in "Trademark infringement, Unfair competition, and Deceptive trade practices concerning the ROSICRUCIAN ORDER phrase." Furthermore, the ISP was informed that no one has successfully stood up in court against AMORC. AMORC lawyers closed the notice with a note saying that the letter was written without prejudice (a funny sounding legal term) and that "[AMORC lawyers] look forward to your favorable replies by no later than November 15, 2015, including confirmation that you will no longer use or assist with the use on any website or otherwise of the phrase ROSICRUCIAN ORDER in or with any name or trademark."

Now, for those who do not know AMORC was a business for its founder; and at one time, advertised in all the major and most of the minor magazine markets. And I am positive that its current board is making a fair living from the Order.

(I have said it before and I will say it again--the use of trademarks makes an organization a business for the Head(s) of that organization, and is only used to make sure that an organization has the sole monopoly on a spiritual system. I only know of one instance, just one, where the taking out of and the defense of a trademark was not done for strictly business purposes. When trademarks come into play, spiritual organizations cease to be spiritual and become nothing more than money printing presses for the Head(s) of the trademarked Orders.)

When news of the ROGD website shutdown appeared on Facebook, AMORC members leaped to the defense of AMORC. Some AMORC members tried to get the notices taken down by arguing that the moderators and owners of various FB pages and groups were not doing their job and breaking the rules of FB groups. Some people reported the notices (FB and group moderators ignored the reports). And at least one AMORC member reported that a moderator under the "real name" policy (too bad for them that the moderator was actually using their real name).

Then when this kind of tactic failed, the AMORC members declared that this takedown had nothing to do with AMORC (in FB groups that are focused on Golden Dawn and general Rosicrucian studies) and that the notice had to be taken down on those grounds.

And when that failed to work, the mob declared that ROGD was actually guilty of deceptive spiritual practices because AMORC never takes other Rosicrucian Orders to court (funny, I know at least one such legal action has been taken, and the letter implies that such actions have indeed occurred). Furthermore, the defenders declared that AMORC is the one and only Rosicrucian Order in the world today....therefore, no one else is actually Roscicrucian.

All of which scores high on my "if it acts like a cult, it probably is" scale.

Just because you are a good person in an Order that claims to be spirtual, mystic, magical, or whatnot, that does not mean that the people at the top of the system are pure in spirit. And people pointing out the dubious behavior of the leadership of the organization you belong to is not an attack about you. But when you rush to the defense of such an Order, especially blindly, well, then we will point out that perhaps you are a little brainwashed. And what is the first sign of a cult?! Yeah, that's right---check your brain at the door.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

So last month, I mentioned that the recent theater shootings left me a little skittish about attending the premiere of the new Star Wars film in December. Well, it turns out that I was not the only one that looked at the upcoming event as a possible target rich environment.

A number of theater chains, including AMC and Cinemark, have came out and said, "No weapons, no masks, no face paint." So that means no blasters (prop or real), no light-sabers (prop...or real), no Darth Vader masks (real...or prop). That is going to make it a....well, if I was going, I would say that it was going to make it a lame party. But I am confident that the hardcore fans will still have a wonderful time.

But most importantly, this means that those cowboys who believe that they should be allowed to open carry their guns everywhere are also going to have to leave their guns and thousands of rounds of ammo at home. Oh, the horror of it all---someone is going to get hurt without all these good guys with guns to protect people against those bad people who seriously injure people with popcorn.

Cue the outcry of "This is how the Sith win---by taking away the movie goer's right to pack heat--imagined or real!" and arguments that the theaters should allow in a dozen armed with AK-47 cowboys per showing to protect the fans.

About Me

Morgan Drake Eckstein is a novelist and occult writer living in Denver, Colorado. He writes everything from science fiction and urban fantasy to erotica. He graduated from the University of Colorado with two Bachelor degrees (History and Literary Studies). Besides writing, Morgan does photography, book cover and Tarot art, and cartooning. In his spare time, he is an officer of Bast Temple, a small local Golden Dawn lodge in Denver, Colorado (BIORC in the Inner), and writes a monthly newsletter column for the Hearthstone Community Church ("The Open Full Moon People").